Alarm over suicide trends for Pacific islanders in NZ

Experts have called for an urgent change of attitude to suicide in New Zealand's Pacific islander community, after news that a child under the age of nine took their own life in 2011.

New Zealand's Chief Coroner, Judge Neil MacLean, is backing a move to provide suicide statistics in a more timely manner, rather than waiting several years for confirmed data.

Judge MacLean has been supported in his calls by prominent health experts, including a consultant on Pacific Islands health issues, David Lui, and University of Auckland research fellow, Dr Jemaima Tiatia.

Dr Tiatia told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat that the Pacific islander community can no longer avoid confronting the issue when young children's lives are at stake.

"We should be extremely shocked... we're seeing the rise in our young adults and our young people and now it's tipped over into our children, something's got to be done about it."

Dr Tiatia said harsh physical discipline, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and lack of love and support can all be risk factors in youth suicide.

She said bullying, including internet bullying, could also contribute.

"Our families come to [New Zealand] with these pipe dreams of their children becoming brain surgeons or Super 15 rugby players and sometimes those expectations can cause a bit of stress and pressure on our young people when they don't cut it," she said.

Dr Tiatia said she fears the youth suicide rate will keep rising if the issue is not addressed.

"These young people are our future and they're dying off because they couldn't have a conversation about something that they felt wasn't appropriate.